Great Outdoors

ST. MICHAELS, MD—If you’ve been waiting for the prime opportunity to buy an affordable boat, then the 12th annual Boat Auction held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is just for you. This live auction will be held on Saturday, September 5, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

For the past 12 years, Labor Day weekend has meant great deals on boats to boating aficionados and first-time boat buyers. More than 40 boats, ranging in size and performance from sailing dinghies to cabin cruisers, will be available to the highest bidder at the 1:00pm Boat Auction. There will be beer and barbeque on sale beginning at 12 p.m.

CBMM Boat Donations Program Manager Lad Mills takes donations and resells boats throughout the year, holding aside some of his inventory for the annual auction. Mills travels up and down the east coast working with boat owners and potential buyers. The auction is the highlight of the year.

It’s time for a great new year of monthly meetings and other fun activities. Below you will find the upcoming schedule of meetings and bird walks. You don’t have to be a member of the club or a great birder to attend!

Bird Trips and Walks – be sure to dress appropriately and bring binoculars if you have them.

Meetings – all held at the Caroline County Public Library, Denton – Large meeting room

Come learn about the island that was home to Talbot County’s first settlement in 1632 which almost totally disappeared beneath the Chesapeake Bay in the 1990’s, and its recent rebirth which returned it to its mid-1800’s size of about 1140 acres and is now home to many varieties of wildlife including many birds.

The QAC Fair hosts a Rodeo the final Saturday. Everyone should experience at least ONE rodeo - here's ours!

by Cyndi Paxton Johnson

I live in the country, surrounded by farm animals and miles of corn and soybeans. I lived in New York City for close to a decade, surrounded by concrete, steel and six or seven million people all wanting to live on the same three square miles. For the remaining years I existed in Suburbia, complete with strip malls, parking lots and overprotective mothers. My point being – I have not lived an isolated life – I’ve been around. I didn’t think there was much left on U.S. soil that could surprise me!

I love bowling. Although I often find myself to be a sub-par soccer mom, I loved the time I was a Bowling Mom. If you can sit in an air conditioned building and eat a sausage, cheese and fried egg sandwich or even order a beer while watching your kids play their sport, you have hit Sports Parent Paydirt! The kids duckpin bowling league in the fall takes place on Saturday mornings and is lots of fun.

The Queen Anne’s Bowling Centre is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Centreville- about 10 miles up the road on Rt. 213 North. It’s a great place for indoor birthday parties, but my favorite thing to do with the kids is go up there on a summer Wednesday evening. From 5 to 10 pm on Wednesdays, it’s Family Night. This means that, for $9 a person, you get 2 games of bowling, 2 slices of pizza, a soda and bowling shoes. So a family of four gets a night out together for $36- not including the all-important Ms. Pac Man quarters or a candy bar from the machine!

That is a frequent response of my client who have gone through a closet purge. It is as if the hangers are whispering sweet nothings, saying “put something on me. I’m lonely up here on this closet rod. How can you stand to just leave me hanging!”

I help those who suffer from “empty hanger” syndrome by taking the hangers away. Not all the empties; the client and I figure out how many extras are needed by taking a quick inventory of clothing that needs washing, ironing, or dry cleaning. I encourage the client to trash the freebie hangers from the dry cleaners and from purchases.

Now this can be the really scary part for the client – I tell them that the number of hangers they have right at that moment is finite! That means when they get new clothes, and they don’t have an extra hanger, they must purge something old. This is the ONLY way that a closet is going to stay clutter-free.

Hidden among the trees by a meandering river lies Wicomico County's hidden gem: The Salisbury Zoo. Free at all times, the zoo offers a relaxing glimpse and educational information on more than 30 breeds of animals in a park-like setting. The tree-covered paths are cool and breezy and wide enough for easy stroller handling. Real bathrooms and water fountains always make a park more pleasant. Staff are on hand to answer questions or provide interesting tidbits: did you know Flamingos are born white, they turn pink because of the food they ingest? (I vote for a purple flamingo - but folks tend to be traditional!)

Children (and parents) will enjoy the amazing community-built playground at the entrance to the zoo. The adjacent park offers paddle-boat rental, picnic spots and barbecue pits.

The park is easy to find and parking is free. They are open year-round, with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Visit their website for directions and more information: Salisbury Zoo.

Check out the thrills 'n spills on the Choptank River at this American Powerboat Association-sanctioned world class of inboard hydroplane and flat-bottom boats race. This is the 99th annual running of the Cambridge Classic Powerboat Regatta!

Great Marsh Park, Cambridge. 11am-5pm both Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26. Free!

by Jane Thomas
Here are some great blue heron photos I took 4/3/09 in Hambrooks Bay in Cambridge. There's a nice timeline of events :) There's also another photo of an unidentified shorebird that maybe someone else can help identify!